The Curse of Inferno

Let me save you - the real "Curse of Inferno" is having to totally waste 87 minutes of your life on this incredibly dull, not funny, not dramatic, not anything of a film that mind you had a good cast but I am sure even they couldn't tell you why this film even exists... poor Pauly - how we miss ya...

Pauly Shore's films typically failed to perform well in the box office, which is not a reliable judge of quality, as his prior films Encino Man, In The Army Now, Jury Duty, Biodome, and Son in Law were iconic 90's movies that are cherished, enjoyed and revered for their nostalgic value and silly comedic elements. However, the fact that "The Curse of Inferno" came out so soon after them is tragic.

After seeing a recent stand up performance, we felt inclined to watch this film, as we had never seen it before, but sadly we felt worse for doing so. It is the sort of movie that you could imagine an actor would make before he ever had any major films under his belt, written by college students with no idea of how to make a successful film. It fails as a comedy as there are only maybe three laughs in the whole movie, his attempt to portray a Texan is sad, and his character is almost totally unbearable. His sidekick character, played by Max Perlich, is completely unbearable.

The acting of Janine Turner is much more convincing, not surprising due to the fact that her parents were native Texans, and she grew up in Euless and Fort Worth. Her rapid fire line delivery in a native Texan dialect adds a much needed injection of authenticity.

The highlight of the film is the acting of Ned Beatty, whose character is intense and believable. Due to his resume, I feel he deserved a better film than what the writers and the people he supported were able to provide.

I actually felt depressed after watching this film. It was that bad. This is one of the most disappointing attempts of a comedy actor to try to portray a somewhat more serious role that I've ever seen.

This crime comedy establishes itself as such with two amateur bank robbers using flashcards to remind themselves what to say when they hold up a bank. Then, in one of the most ironic turns of events I've ever seen in my entire life, a more organized duo of robbers make their move after the amateur robbers have gotten more money than expected.

One of the punks, Chuck, is surprisingly successful at hiding the loot in the bank restroom before using a gunshot injury to look innocent.

This fails to impress me due to the questions real life cops are likely to maintain. Although this is set in a small town that might not have heard of stories where criminals injure themselves to look innocent, I for one have heard such stories, at least one of which occurred in March of 1996, by which time Pauly Shore's charisma had become a thing of the past, thanks to Bio-Dome.

Despite proving more watchable at the very least, this movie does nothing to salvage that charisma.

Bumbling partners Chuck Betts (Pauly Shore) and Harold Cantrell (Max Perlich) try to rob the First Inferno National Bank to fix up their plane. They are interrupted by two other robbers. Chuck gets stuck in the bathroom and passes himself off as one of the victims. He falls for gorgeous deputy Layla Moanes (Janine Turner). There is a surprising amount in the small bank and Chuck suspects dirty money. Moles Huddenel (Ned Beatty) and bank manager Lonnie Martin (Stephen Tobolowsky) have been laundering $3 million.

It's a good thing that Pauly Shore isn't playing the wacky idiot. It would be even better for him to play a smarter character. There are a few more stupidity from the other characters. This needs to be a tight dark crime drama. It's nowhere near that level but it could have tried. This is caught in the middle. It's not the usual Pauly Shore silliness but it can't be taken seriously either.

Personally, I found the film to be quite amusing. When I saw that Pauly Shore was in it, I expected another "Son in Law" character, but this is quite different!

The film doesn't attempt to cash in on Pauly Shore's previous acting history, and instead casts him as a good-natured, but somewhat underprivileged country boy. He manages to maintain a level of seriousness that keeps you interested in the fate of his misfortune.

The story is cute, and has some clever twists to keep you guessing... despite it's cliche-ridden characters.

I'd say it's a worthwhile rental or cable-TV movie. Especially if you like caper films.